Hysteria and the Crucible

What is hysteria? By definition, hysteria is a state of intense agitation, anxiety, or excitement, especially as manifested by large groups or segments of society. In a broader sense however, hysteria is a killer, the delitescent devil. More specifically, hysteria was the main cause of nineteen deaths in the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, and countless ruined reputations on account of Joe McCarthy. Hysteria does not just appear out of nowhere though. There are driving forces such as revenge and abuse of power that bring about the irrational fear that can take over society. These are the issues expressed in Arthur Miller's The Crucible. The Crucible is paralleled directly to the Salem Witch Trials and indirectly to the McCarthy hearings of the 1950's. The story of The Crucible takes place against the background of the Salem Witch, trials but the themes lie much deeper. The main themes expressed in The Crucible relate to the events that occurred at both the Salem Witch Trials and during the McCarthy era. At the Salem Witch Trials, one hundred fifty people were accused of practicing witchcraft and nineteen of those were convicted and executed. The evidence against these people was hardly substantial. At the McCarthy hearings, thousands of people were "blacklisted." Anyone who tried to oppose the accusations was also viewed as a Communist. No one was convicted due to the more advanced legal system; still, that did not erase the fear that was instilled by the allegations. In 1692, the small town of Salem, Massachusetts was in a state of unrest. The farming families in the western part wanted to split from the town and form Salem Village. These separatists felt that Salem's increasing economy was creating individualism and taking away from the communal nature of Puritanism. The family leading these separatists was the Putnam family. They started a congregation under Reverend Samuel Parris, which only increased division between the two blocs. The children of Salem did not have many forms of entertainment, especially during the winter. There were no movies or radios, and the adults were always busy with work. Many took to reading as a form of entertainment. The young people of the town became interested in books about fortune telling and prophecies. Some formed a circle led by Tituba, slave of Reverend Parris. Among those in the circle were Betty Parris, the Reverend's daughter, and Abigail Williams, his niece. When Betty and Abigail began acting strangely, and a physician could not determine the cause, he blamed it on witchcraft, thus beginning months of ludicrous accusations and executions. Many in the Salem society readily accepted the witchcraft accusations because witchcraft was highly feared and frowned upon in the Puritan code. It was defined as entering into a pact with the devil in exchange for certain powers to do evil. Witchcraft was a grave sin because it denied the supremacy of God, and a crime because the devil was called upon to perform cruel acts against others. Betty and Abigail wished to take the focus off themselves, so they began accusing the "witches" who had "afflicted" them. The first three to be accused were Tituba, Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborne. They were easy targets because of their low social status and lack of church attendance. As time went on, members of Salem saw how easy it was to accuse someone of witchcraft and revenge became a huge factor. Men with high military rankings, and their wives, were accused because of sour feelings over military losses. Religious leaders, such as Reverend George Burroughs, were accused if they did not follow the Puritan Code to the letter. Abigail Williams accused Elizabeth Proctor of witchcraft simply because she harbored feelings of resentment towards her and her husband John. Personal vengeance was a main cause for accusation. Things really got out of hand when people were being hanged because their specters were causing a disturbance. As one...

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...The Crucible: Hysteria and Injustice
Thesis Statement:
The purpose is to educate and display to the reader the hysteria and
injustice that can come from a group of people that thinks it's doing the
"right" thing for society in relation to The Crucible by Arthur Miller.
I. Introduction:
The play is based on the real life witch hunts that occurred in the late
1600's in Salem, Massachusetts. It shows the people's fear of what they felt
was the Devil's work and shows how a small group of powerful people wrongly
accused and killed many people out of this fear and ignorance. Also important
to the play is how Arthur Miller depicts how one selfish, evil person like
Abigail Williams can bring others down and make others follow her to commit evil
acts. These evil acts affect even the most honest people in the town like John
and Elizabeth Proctor, and Rebecca Nurse who cannot fight the accusations made
against them by those following Abigail. Those following Abigail are considered
to be holy men that are full of honesty and justice, but the play shows that
even those who are thought to be respectable and right, like people of
government or community leaders can bring death to innocent people if they are
driven by something wrong.
II. Plot:
The plot begins with the inciting incident where Rev. Parris finds his
niece Abigail Williams and his daughter Betty along with his slave Tituba doing
some dance in the forest....

...had begun experiencing similar symptoms. The New York State Department of Health investigated the school in which most of the teenagers with the illness cases had come from, and found no harmful substances on the premises. This left townspeople, parents, students, and the public baffled. After researching however, scientists came to the consensus that this wasn’t a case of poison or injury, for it was merely a case of mass hysteria. Gender imbalance was one clue the doctors used to differentiate hysteria from poisoning since one theme has remained consistent; the victims of mass hysteria are overwhelmingly female. Mass hysteria is a condition affecting a group of persons, characterized by excitement or anxiety, irrational behavior or beliefs, or inexplicable symptoms of illness. Perhaps the most famous case of mass hysteria in America, the Salem, Massachusetts Witch Trials, dates back to almost 400 years ago. The events surrounding the witch trials began when 4 girls started to suffer from mysterious fits. Theories that contributed to the growth of the hysteria in Salem were of jealousy, lies, and arrogant law officials.
Betty Parris and Abigail Williams began to exhibit strange behavior, such as screaming, convulsive seizures, and trance-like states which were assumed to be because of mysterious spells. Within a short time, several other girls, including Mary Warren and Mercy Lewis,...

...
Over time the definition of hysteria has been altered. Long ago it was believed to be a medical condition thought only to affect women. Symptoms of the illness included partial paralysis, hallucinations and nervousness. In the late 1800’s and through today, it is looked at as a psychological disorder (“Hysteria”). Merriam-Webster defines it as a state in which emotions (such as fear) are so strong that can cause someone to behave in an uncontrolled way(Webster). Hysteria can influence the way people act and think. Throughout time hysteria has developed in numerous situations. In some cases the effects are so substantial that they have become significant aspects in history. For example, the Salem Witch Trials, as told in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, will always be included in American history. Another historical event is the Holocaust. Some psychologists believe hysteria could be to blame for both of these events. Regardless, hysteria has played a crucial role in both the Holocaust and the Salem Witch Trials, as told in Arthur Miller’s, The Crucible.
1692 Salem, Massachusetts was the home to many Puritans. A puritan was someone with strict religious beliefs. They wanted to keep their community free from the devil so they banned anything that could possibly encourage them to fall into Satan’s evil ways. The people could not take part in most leisurely...

...towards John Proctor?
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Why is she antagonistic toward Elizabeth Proctor?
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Why has she been asked to leave her home?
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Why does she tell John what happened to Betty?
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Why do Proctor and Rebecca speak out against Hale's coming?
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Why has Proctor set himself against Parris?
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How does Rebecca's departure affect those waiting at the bedside?
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Why does Abigail accuse Tituba?
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Why does Hale believe Abigail rather than Tituba?
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How does he lead Tituba into naming names?
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Why do Abigail and Betty name names?
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What is a crucible? How is it used? Justify Miller's use of The Crucible as a title for his play.
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Act I summary
The play is set in Salem, Massachusetts in spring of 1692. It begins in a small upper bedroom of the home of Rev. Samuel Parris, who kneels in prayer at the bed of his daughter, Betty.
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Tituba, Rev. Parris' slave from Barbados, comes into the room. She is concerned for Betty's welfare, but Parris makes her leave. Abigail Williams, the niece of Rev. Parris enters along with Susanna Walcott, who tells Rev. Parris that Dr. Griggs can't find a cure for Betty's ailment.
Parris sent for Rev. Hale of Beverly, who will confirm the possibility of an unnatural cause of Betty's illness, but he orders Susanna...

...Ryan McKeithan
English III Prd. 1
10 – 17 – 12
“The Crucible” by Author Miller:
Crucible [kroo-suh-buhl] noun: A severe, searching test or trial. Author Miller titled the play “The Crucible” because it has to do with witchcraft trails in Salem. Witchcraft [wich-kraft, krahft] noun: The art or practices of a witch; sorcery; magic. McCarthyism [muh-kahr-thee-iz-uhm] noun: The practice of making accusations of disloyalty; the practice of making unfair allegations or using unfair investigating techniques, especially in order to restrict dissent or political criticism. In the play “The Crucible” by Author Miller the characters or John Proctor, Abigail Williams, and Reverend Hale are motivated by these ideas of Witchcraft and McCarthyism and in turn effect the plot of the play.
John Proctor is the Protagonist in the play, meaning he was the leading character or hero of the drama. He is Elizabeth Proctor’s husband. He is also an honest, upright, blunt, and a good man with a secret that he has committed adultery. John tries to find peace within himself throughout all the lies and chaos that occurs during the play. “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them who hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” (Proctor, pg. 62) This quote shows that John Proctor is a dynamic...

...﻿Ridgeview High School
Expository Reading and Writing
The Crucible
Bennett, Jessica. “The Flip Side of Internet Fame.” Newsweek. March 3, 2008.
Hamilton, Anita. “Outsmart Your Haters.” Time. October 6, 2008.
Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. Penguin Group Inc: New York, 2003.
“Witch Hunts, Pledges, and Blacklists.” www.borndigital.com/mccart.htm.
Rationale:
Witch hunts, blacklists, character, reputation, defamation, public and private identity, the dark side of human nature, and cultural norms. These are many of the still-relevant themes that Arthur Miller explored in The Crucible. In today’s technologically-dependent society, many of these issues have been complicated by the omnipresence of the World Wide Web.
Paired with the reading of The Crucible, online research about the Salem Witch Trials, and McCarthyism, the articles in this assignment sequence provide information and persuasive points of view on the topics of libel, mass hysteria, the importance of reputation, and the danger of defamation in our technologically-savvy world.
Pre-reading
Activity 1: Getting Ready to Read
This activity is to introduce students to Puritan values, culture, and ideals.
Read the list of Puritan ethics. Each student should pick 2-3 that still apply to mainstream American society, and 2-3 that no longer apply or have degenerated in today’s society. Give specific examples to illustrate...

...The Crucible: Act One
1. Where and when is the opening scene of the play set?
* The opening scene was held in the Salem in the Spring of year 1692
2. Why has Parris sent for Reverend Hale from Beverly?
* Parris sent for Reverend Hale to see what is going on with his sick daughter, Betty.
3. What do we learn about the events in the forest and Abigail Williams’ connections with the Proctor family?
* Abigail is in love with John Proctor and drank some charm to rid of Goody Proctor. They were dancing for the Devil and asked Tituba to conjure spirits.
4. What does Ann Putnam claim in the play about her dead infant children?
* Ann Putnam claims that the Devil killed her children.
5. Before the arrival of John Hale, what are some of the subjects for petty disagreement among the character?
* Before John Hale came, they had a debate on whether it was witchcraft or not.
6. According to the stage directions, how does John Hale enter for the first time?
* John Hale comes in with dozens of books, feelings intellectual and very much needed by the people of Salem.
7. What happened when John Hale interrogates Tituba? How does the scene’s atmosphere become hysterical?
* When John Hale interrogated Tituba, it created a tense atmosphere which caused Tituba to panic and finally tell the truth; Tituba was horrified then felt remorse afterwards.
8. Miller colors the play with dialect, or...

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The Crucible: Act I
Characters
Reverend Parris
Abigail Williams
Mary Warren
Betty
John Proctor
Thomas Putnam
Mrs. Putnam
Rebecca Nurse
Reverend Hale
Tituba
A small upper bedroom in the home of Reverend Samuel Parris, Salem, Massachusetts, in the spring of they year 1692.
There is a narrow window a the left. Through its leaded panes the morning sunlight streams&gt; A candle still burns near the bed, which is at the right. A chest, a chair, and a small table are the other furnishings. At the back a cdoor opens on the landing of the stairway to the ground floor. The room gives off an air of clean sparseness. The roof rafters are exposed, and the wood colors are raw and unmellowed.
As the curtain rises, Reverend Parris is discovered kneeling beside the bed, evidently in prayer. His daughter, Betty Parris, aged ten, is lying on the bed, inert. His niece, Abigail Williams, seventeen, enters; she is all worry and propriety.
At the time of these events Parris was in his middle forties. In history he cut a villainous path, and there is very little good to be said for him. He believed he was being persecuted wherever he went, despite his best efforts to win people and God to his side. In meeting, he felt insulted if someone rose to shut the door without first asking his permission. He was a widower with no interest in children, or talent with them. He regarded them as young adults, and until this...